


Batman and...Castiel?

by luciferswearingmetoprom



Series: I'll Be Your Hero, Baby [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daycare, Child Abuse, Gen, Kid Fic, child!Dean - Freeform, child!castiel, child!gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-08 04:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 9,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luciferswearingmetoprom/pseuds/luciferswearingmetoprom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's three year old Dean Winchester's first day of daycare in the new town of Lawrence, Kansas and he has no idea what to expect. But he's ready, that is, to say...before he meets one strange two year old who has no idea who Batman is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. He's a Winchester

"I DON' WANNA GO!"

"Dean, sweetheart, please. You have to go. Daycare won't be so bad."

"BUT I DON' KNOW ANYBODY! I'M GUNNA BE ALL ALONE!"

"Listen to your mother, kiddo. You're making her late for her interview."

"GOOD!"

"Dean Robert Winchester you are going to daycare, and that is  _final_!"

The three year old froze in the middle of his morning tantrum and stared up at his father. He couldn't believe that his father had yelled at him.

His mother slowly walked up to his father. "John, calm down. You're scaring him."

His parents glanced at the small child who was looking at his father in fear.

Dean's lip began to quiver. "I'm sorry, Daddy." He ran up and hugged his father's legs. "I'm sorry!"

John's angry expression softened as tears started to fall from his son's eyes. He bent down and picked him up. "It's okay, buddy. You're still going to daycare, though." He wiped Dean's tears with his thumb.

Dean nodded. "I will. I'll try to make some friends."

John's lips curved up into a smile. "That's my boy." He set Dean on his feet again. "So who do you want to take you to daycare? Me or Mom?"

Dean's eyebrows knitted together like he was trying to figure out the answer to a tough question, but to a three year old, choosing between his parents  _is_  a tough question. "Umm…both!" The small child did a little jig as he came up with a perfect solution. "You  _and_  Mommy!"

His parents laughed.

"Okay, kiddo," John said, kissing his wife's cheek. "I'm sure Bobby won't mind if I'm a little late. I'm going to go start the car."

"Oh, so you leave me with the child?" his wife said sarcastically.

John winked. "You know it, Mary."

Mary shook her head, holding her hand out to Dean as John left the house. "Come on, Dean. Grab your backpack."

Dean bounced, grabbing his Batman backpack, then taking his mom's hand.

He was nervous for daycare. He'd never gone to one before and he and his parents had just moved to the small town of Lawrence, Kansas. But Dean was prepared. He had his favorite superhero on his backpack (and on his underwear), and he had on an ACDC t-shirt. He was ready.

The short drive to the daycare was quiet. Dean kept fidgeting in his car seat, his nervousness growing the closer they got.

"Momma?" he asked quietly.

"What, sweetheart?" Mary turned around in her seat to see her son looking at his hands. "Dean, what's the matter?"

The small boy slowly looked up at his mother. "What if the other kids don't like me?"

"Don't think like that, kiddo," John said, glancing at his son through the rear-view mirror. "They'll like you. You are a Winchester, after all."

Dean smiled a little, not believing his dad. "Okay."


	2. I Want Batman

They arrived at the daycare not long after that conversation. Dean clung to his dad as they walked inside the building.

They were met with the sounds of laughing children and the voices of adults telling them to quiet down.

A young woman sat at the desk checking two small children into the daycare. She smiled kindly at them as she wrote their names on name tags.

"Here's Castiel's," she said, pinning the tag on the back of the shirt of the small black haired boy. She turned to the brown-haired boy, pinning a name tag on him as well. "And Gabriel. Welcome back." The woman opened the door to the playroom saying, "All right, you're all set. Go on in."

Gabriel ran straight in, not bothering to tell his father goodbye. Castiel, on the other hand, began to cry, clutching at his father's legs.

"I don' wanna go in!" he cried.

His father let out a big sigh. "Castiel, let go. You are already making me late, as it is."

The Winchester family watched the scene in silence, amazed at the lack of love in the father's tone.

The young woman bit her lip, awkwardly glancing between the boy and his father and the small family of three waiting by the doors. "Umm…" she finally said. "Mr. Novak, would you mind if Castiel helped me behind the desk for a little while?"

Mr. Novak shook his head, prying his son off his leg. He lifted the small boy up, handing him to the woman. "Take him."

Castiel screamed at the loss of his father, who had turned and hurriedly walked out of the daycare.

John and Mary glanced at each other before stepping up to the desk.

The woman began bouncing Castiel on her hip, trying to get him to calm down. She smiled at the Winchesters, holding out her free hand. "Hi, I'm Jo Harvelle. My mom and I run the daycare here."

Mary took Jo's hand and shook it. "I'm Mary Winchester and this is my husband, John."

"And who's this little guy?" Jo asked, trying to get Dean's attention as the three year old hid his face in John's neck.

"This is Dean," said Mary, tugging on her son's arm. "Tell the nice lady hi."

Dean sheepishly peeked out of his hiding spot so Jo was able to see only a bright green eye. "Hi."

Jo chuckled, still bouncing Castiel, who had begun to calm down.

The door to the playroom opened and an older woman stepped out. She saw Jo with Castiel and the three Winchesters and stopped. "Oh, hello," she said. "I'm Ellen, Jo's mom."

"Mom, these are the Winchesters," Jo said.

"This boy, too?" Ellen said, motioning to Castiel.

Jo shook her head. "Gabriel Novak's little brother."

"Ah." Ellen seemed all too familiar to the name 'Novak'. She sighed. "Give him here."

Jo's eyes widened, a look of horror taking over her features. "I don't think that's the best idea, mom."

"Okay." Ellen turned to John and Mary. "I haven't seen you around Lawrence before."

"We moved here a week ago," Mary said. "We haven't been out much since we arrived."

"Well, what brings you here?"

"I lost my job where we were from and a friend of mine offered me a job here," smiled John.

"Who's your friend?" asked Jo.

"Bobby Singer."

"Why am I not surprised?" Ellen laughed. "You must be that long-lost nephew Bobby always talks about. He was really happy to have you here."

"You know Bobby?"

"He was a good friend of my husband's. Bobby said that you had a little family. He just failed to tell me that they were growing again." Ellen eyed the small bump on Mary's abdomen.

Mary blushed, placing a hand on her stomach. "Bobby doesn't know yet. I haven't seen him since we arrived."

"Well, Bobby's coming over to our place for dinner tonight," Jo said, "maybe you could join us, too." She turned to her mother, her hand rubbing Castiel's back. The small child had quieted down and was playing with her hair. "Right, mom?"

Ellen smiled. "Of course. A dinner of seven never hurt us."

"Seven?" The numbers didn't add up in John's mind.

"Ash is the seventh," said Jo. "He's my cousin. He works here, too."

John glanced at the clock on the wall. "Well, we'd better get going. Mary's due at the hospital."

"Ultrasound?" asked Ellen.

"Job interview," Mary corrected. "I'm a neonatal nurse."

"If you don't get the job we could always use the help here," Ellen offered. "Four is sometimes not enough."

"Five if Chuck feels brave enough," mumbled Jo.

"I appreciate the offer," Mary said. "I'll keep it in mind." She poked Dean in the side, eliciting a small squeak from the child. "Time to go, sweetheart."

Dean shook his head. "No."

Mary handed his backpack to Ellen, who said, "You know, we've got a few Batman toys inside. Something tells me that you like Batman."

Dean's head shot up from his dad's neck, colliding with John's chin, but the small boy didn't notice. "Batman?" He wiggled in John's hold. "Daddy, put me down. I want Batman."

The adults laughed as John put Dean down and the three year old ran to the door.

"Lemme in! Lemme in!"

"We'll see you, kiddo," John waved, taking Mary's hand.

"Have fun, sweetheart."

Dean ignored the goodbyes as the playroom door was opened for him. He ran in, his feet going fast as if the floor was on fire.


	3. Fight Club

Kids were everywhere, twelve, he counted. (Yes, Dean can count. He's very proud of that fact.) There were five girls and seven boys with two adults who looked to be way in over their heads.

He recognized the boy Gabriel who was throwing pieces of candy at a girl with a head full of red hair, and she was chucking them right back.

"Stop it, Gabe!" she was yelling.

He threw another piece of candy. "Make me, Anna."

Dean didn't like what was going on. He couldn't stand bullying. He ran over to the two and grabbed the Laffy Taffy the kid had in his hand. "Listen to the girl!" he hollered. "Stop being mean!"

"No one comes between me and my candy!" Gabriel yelled, and pushed Dean over. "And I can do what I want to 'cuz I'm older!"

Dean luckily toppled over onto a pile of stuffed animals, but he jumped up and pushed back. "I don' care if you are older! Stop being a bully!"

The adults in the room finally noticed the two boys wrestling and trying to hurt each other and pulled the two apart. Ellen had heard the commotion in the play room and told Jo to run after John and Mary who had already left the building.

Dean was suspended in the air by a male with long hair while Gabriel was kicking in the arms of a young woman.

"No one messes with my candy!" shouted Gabriel, trying to get out of the woman's grasp.

"Gabriel Novak, that is enough!" the woman scolded.

John burst into the room and Dean froze in his struggles against the childcare worker. "Dean," he said sternly.

Dean shrunk into the arms that were holding him. "I'm sorry, Daddy. But that boy was being mean!" He pointed at Gabriel who stuck his tongue out at Dean.

"I can do that to Anna 'cuz she's my cousin!"

The man set Dean down. "Gabriel…time out. Four minutes. Now."

Gabriel glared at the man with shoulder-length hair. "No. Ash, I won't."

"So you're Ash?" John asked.

Ash nodded. "Yep. Pleased to meet you. You the new kid's daddio?"

"That I am." John turned to his son. "Dean, come here please."

Dean slowly walked to his father. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"It's okay, buddy," John said, kneeling. "But when someone is mean to someone else, you gotta tell Miss Ellen, Miss Jo, Ash or, uh…" He looked up at the woman still holding a pouting Gabriel. "What's your name?"

"Becky," she answered.

"Or Miss Becky. Okay?"

Dean nodded. "Okay, Daddy."

John kissed his son on the forehead. "All right, bud. No more fights. Mom and I have to leave now."

"No more fights. I promise!"


	4. Lady Magnet

Daycare for Dean was 'so far, so good'. Well, aside from his little fight with Gabriel, that is.

Gabriel had gotten a time-out for being mean to Anna, which she and Dean were very happy about. Gabriel even had his candy taken away from him! Needless to say, Gabriel was very sour towards Dean for the rest of the day.

Dean had taken to the worker, Ash, very quickly. He found the man fun, even though Ash hated working with kids. (He just did it because he needed a day job after getting kicked out of MIT).

But Dean also had a group of admirers. Three girls kept following him around as he explored the many activities. One of the girls was Anna; he couldn't forget her red hair. But the other girls were kind of freaking him out.

Finally, he had enough.

"Can you stop followin' me?" he asked.

The two girls he didn't know giggled.

"You're cute," one said. She had dark brown eyes and hair, and tan skin. Dean would have to admit that she was very pretty. "I'm Lisa. This is my cousin, Sarah."

"Hi?" Dean squeaked.

"I'm four," Sarah said. She didn't look like Lisa, so Dean didn't know how they were related, with Sarah's black hair and blue eyes.

"I'm three," answered the terrified boy. But then he remembered that he was a Winchester. He's not supposed to be afraid of girls. "My name is Dean Winchester. I'm new."

"We know," smiled Lisa. "I'm five." She glanced at Anna who was standing next to her. "And you know Anna, right? She's four just like Sarah is."

Dean nodded. "I saved her from Gabriel." He puffed out his chest, impressed with himself.

Anna blushed, her cheeks matching her hair. "Thanks."

Dean glanced at Gabriel, who was trying to steal a piece of candy from Becky's pocket. "Why's he like candy so much? Doesn't he know it's bad for him?"

Lisa shrugged. She looked slightly annoyed about talking about Gabriel. But before she could say anything, Anna butted in.

"That's 'cuz Uncle Jimmy doesn't care about Gabe and Cas."

"Who's Cas?" Dean asked, staring at the rest of the daycare kids.

"He's not in here," said Lisa. "He's probably with Ms. Jo."

Oh. So Cas was the crying kid he saw. But Dean didn't understand how a daddy didn't care about his sons. His daddy always told Dean that he loved him, even when he was getting into trouble.

Two children smaller than Dean suddenly ran through the line of girls, making them scream. One boy was skinny with a mop of brown hair on his head, while the other looked foreign.

"Garth! Kevin!" Lisa squealed, not happy with the way the boys had wrinkled her skirt when they ran by.

Dean laughed. Those boys looked like fun. Then his eyes widened when he saw the toys the two were playing with: Batman.

He suddenly didn't want to talk to the girls anymore. Dean Winchester wanted Batman.


	5. My Name is Castiel

Dean got along with the kids named Garth and Kevin splendidly, even if they were quite younger than he was. But they liked Batman and that was good enough for Dean Winchester.

They didn't know how long they were running around the room playing Batman, (with Dean being the masked hero, of course), but finally it was time for lunch and Dean got into an argument with Ms. Ellen.

"But I am the Night!" he wailed.

"Dean Winchester if you do not sit down and eat I will have to call your father," Ellen said, struggling to place the three year old in a plastic chair at the lunch table.

That got Dean to shut up. He didn't want to get into trouble with his dad again. He took the Batman mask off of his face and handed it to Ellen. "I'm sorry," he said as he was lowered into the chair.

The kids tore into their PB&J sandwiches when the door to the room opened and Ms. Jo and the small black haired kid named Cas entered. Dean glanced around at the two tables that were filled with children and noticed that the only open seat was next to him. He really hoped the kid wouldn't start screaming once he was sitting down.

But he didn't. Cas obediently sat at the table and ate his sandwich in silence, the only words he spoke were to ask for more water. That is, they were the only words he spoke until Dean talked to him.

"Hi," the Winchester said.

Cas looked startled that someone was talking to him. "Hi?" He peeked at Dean from under his eyelashes.

"I'm Dean. And you're Cas, right?"

Cas shook his head. "Castiel."

Dean scrunched up his nose. "That's a weird name. I think I'll call you Cas."

The blue-eyed boy shook his head again. "I don't like that name."

Dean sighed. This 'Castiel' was a strange kid. "Why not?"

"Because it isn't my name. I like Castiel."

"Well none of the rest of us like it, Cassie," a voice from across the table said.

Dean looked to the kid who said it and frowned. The kid had a nasty look on his face, like Castiel was lunch instead of the half-eaten sandwich on his plate.

"Back off," Dean said. "I'm talkin' to Castiel. Not you."

"I can talk to Cassie if I want to," the kid sneered.

Dean glanced at Castiel who was staring at his hands in his lap. It was obvious that Castiel and the other kid didn't get along.

"Leave Cas alone, Zach," another kid said. "It's not his fault Uncle Jimmy named him weird."

"Just like Dad named you Balthazar?" Zach snapped.

The kid who had defended Castiel rolled his eyes. "We have a weird family," he said to Dean.

Dean agreed with 'Balthazar'. I mean, who names their kid Balthazar? he thought. He looked between Castiel, Balthazar and Zach, and he even glanced at Gabriel who was sitting at the other table. There were definitely some strange people in this daycare.


	6. You can be my Robin

Dean and Castiel finished lunch with only a little trouble from Zach. Balthazar was able to distract the four year old long enough for Dean and his new friend to escape to the book corner. (Castiel told Dean that Zach was scared of the book corner. But to be truthful, Dean didn't like it either.)

Castiel was attempting to get Dean to look at the book in his hands, but the green eyed toddler was watching Garth and Kevin 'battle' each other.

Dean's line of vision was blocked by Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and he batted it away. He looked to his new friend who had a pout on his lips. "What?"

"It's a funny book," Castiel mumbled, turning his sad blue eyes on Dean.

"I know. My mom reads it to me a lot." Dean kinda felt bad about hurting Castiel's feelings, but he had a better idea for them of what to do. "But don't you wanna go and play with them instead?" He pointed to Garth who had just defeated Kevin.

"But I don't know what they're playing." Castiel cautiously put the books back in their places as if he'd been doing that his whole life.

"They're playing Batman."

Castiel scrunched his eyebrows together. "What sort of game is that?"

Dean's mouth dropped. "You don't know who Batman is?!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought that  _everyone_  knew who Batman was. Dean immediately figured that Castiel lived under a rock.

He grabbed his friend's hand, dragging him over to where Kevin was reaching for the Batman mask.

"No!" Dean cried, lunging for the costume piece. He snatched it just before Kevin got his sticky peanut butter hands on the mask. "Mine. I'm Batman."

Kevin huffed his frustration, giving in. He wasn't about to fight with Dean anyways. "Robin?" he asked, eyeing the red vest with the yellow 'R' on it.

"No." Dean grabbed the vest and the yellow cape as well. "You can be Alfred."

"No." Kevin instead grabbed a green wig and plopped it on his head. "Joker!"

"Me?" Garth jumped up from where he was struggling to put a purple coat on, asking how he looked.

Dean gave him a thumbs up before digging through the costume chest to find a cane. "There you go, Penguin."

Garth grinned before swinging the cane around like the mad man he was portraying, narrowly missing Kevin's head.

Dean turned towards Castiel and held the vest and cape out. "You can be my Robin."

His blue eyed friend just stared at the pieces of clothing. "But I'm not a bird."

Dean rolled his eyes, tossing the clothes at Castiel. "I'm Batman and you're Robin. You're my partner." Dean placed the mask over his face before turning back to the costume trunk to find the cape he had been playing with earlier. Once he'd located it and put it around his shoulders, he looked back to Castiel who had put the vest on backwards and was struggling to put the cape around his waist.

"Cas, no." Dean fixed his friend's costume, completing it with Robin's mask. He stepped back smiling. "Awesome."

The sound of girls squealing snapped Dean out of his satisfaction. He glanced over his shoulder to see Garth and Kevin attacking Sarah and Lisa who were playing with Barbies.

"Look, Robin! Girls to save! Let's go!"


	7. I'll See You Later, Friend

Daycare flew by way too quickly for Dean and his new friend, Castiel. Before and after naptime, they spent the entire day playing Batman and Robin, (and even during naptime where Dean and Cas insisted on using their capes as blankets!)

But unfortunately the day rolled to a close and one child after another, the daycare was slowly emptying, until all who was left were Dean, Castiel and Gabriel.

Miss Jo had told the boys to clean up their toys and Dean and Castiel reluctantly gave up their costumes. "There's always tomorrow," she had told them.

So Dean and Castiel hung out at the book corner looking at Chicka Chicka Boom Boom while Gabriel sat at one of the tables angrily drawing a picture of an older Dean getting squashed by a piano.

"Dean-o?" a low voice said, bringing the three year old out of the world of uppercase and lowercase letters.

His green eyes widened at the man before him. "Daddy!" Dean launched himself at his father who easily caught him.

"Hey, buddy," John laughed. "Did you have a good first day at daycare?"

Dean nodded quickly. "I played Batman allllllll day with Cas!"

John's eyebrows rose. "And who is this Cas who played Batman with you allll day, hmmm?"

Dean pointed at his friend who was shyly standing in a pile of books. "That's Cas. He's my friend."

John set Dean down on the ground and knelt before the two year old. "Well hello, Cas. I'm Dean's dad." He took Cas' hand and shook it, making the child giggle.

"Hi. I was Dean's Robin today," grinned Cas.

"Castiel."

Cas' smile faded as he turned from Dean's dad to his own father who was impatiently waiting by the door with Gabriel. "It is time to go. Now."

Cas nodded his head. "Bye, Dean," he said quietly before quickly putting the books back on the shelves. "More Batman tomorrow?"

"Castiel, now," Mr. Novak ordered again.

The two year old scurried over to his father.

Before they left, Dean called, "I'll see you later, friend!" earning a small smile from Castiel.

"Well," John said, standing to his feet. He wasn't liking Castiel's father, especially not after the scene they had witnessed that morning. "What do you say to going home, getting Mommy and then heading over to Uncle Bobby's for dinner? Does that sound good?"

Dean hopped up and down. "And then can we have Cas over?"

John picked his son up and swung him over his shoulder. "Not tonight, bud. But maybe soon."


	8. Weekend Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm mostly only going to focus the story on when Dean and Cas are together, so I'm not writing the big dinner at Ellen's place (basically because I don't want to.) However, if you want flashbacks of that dinner, I'm sure I could fit it in.

Dean couldn't wait to get to daycare the next morning. He really loved spending time with Jo, Ellen and Ash, but he was anxious to see the friends he made that were his own age. He was especially excited to see Cas again.

The three year old was aware that his father had talked to his mother about Cas after they had put Dean to bed. Dean could tell that they didn't like his friend's dad. To be frank, Dean didn't like Mr. Novak much either. The young Winchester believed that Mr. Novak was too mean to be a dad; he didn't understand how any parent could be like that to their child.

He was literally bouncing in his car seat when his dad pulled up to the daycare. Dean had spotted Cas, Gabe and their father enter the building as John parked the car.

"Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!" he cried, pointing.

John laughed. "I see them, buddy. I see them. Now, be patient. You'll see your friend in a few minutes."

Dean sputtered. "But, but-"

"Dean, you're still in your seat. You haven't figured out how to..."

John trailed off when he heard the 'pop' of a seatbelt being unbuckled. His smart bugger of a son had tricked him.

"See, Dad? I know how!" The three year old grunted as he tried pushing his door open.

John chuckled, exiting the Impala, then freeing his hyperactive kid. The child whooped, darting off towards the doors, only to struggle with opening those as well.

"All right, all right," Mr. Winchester opened the door to the daycare.

Dean was happy that the Novaks' were still at the desk when they got inside. "Cas!"

The little blue-eyed boy turned when he heard his name. His eyes were red and puffy, but he smiled, shaking his head slightly.

Then Mr. Novak turned around, his eyes matched Castiel's in color, but were hard and glaring at Dean. "So you're the boy my son couldn't shut up about last night."

Dean's grin shrunk as he quickly slid behind his father's legs. He didn't like the way that Mr. Novak was looking at him, and apparently his father didn't like it either.

"You must be Mr. Novak," John said, keeping a cheery disposition even if the other adult didn't. "I'm John Winchester, and this is my boy, Dean. Listen, our sons became friends, and I find that impressive, for both of them from what I hear. Dean isn't that good at making friends, and from what he's told me, it seems like your Cas is the same."

"His name is  _Castiel_ ," Mr. Novak gritted.

"Yes, I understand that. But to a three year old, that name can be a mouthful."

A throat was cleared from behind the desk and the two men turned to look at Jo and Ellen.

"Is there a problem here?" Ellen asked.

"No. No problem at all," Mr. Novak stated. "I was just about to tell Mr. Winchester here that if our sons were so acquainted, that I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking both of them for the weekend." He stared back at John. "I have a business trip to attend to and I simply cannot bring along two children. I'm sure they would fine to be corrupted by you." He nodded at Jo and Ellen, smirked at John, then turned and left the building.

No word was uttered for a few minutes until there was a small tug at John's jeans.

"Daddy? Is everything okay?"

John let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding in. "Uh...yeah. Everything's fine. It just looks like we're going to have two extra houseguests for a couple days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes. Mr. Novak is a dick. He's supposed to be that way.   
> and yeah, I know it's been a really long time, and I'm sorry. I kind of made up for it with a slightly longer chapter and some angst in there, too :)


	9. Phone Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I've had this chapter done for months! I don't know why I never posted it! Sorry!!!! I was about to post chapter 10 and I realized that there's no chapter nine! My bad! Sorry!   
> Enjoy :)

Jo immediately ushered the young boys into the playroom, leaving Ellen and John in the lobby.

Ellen placed her hand on John’s arm. “I know you didn’t actually volunteer to take the boys for the weekend, but it’s much appreciated. Jim usually drops them off at our place whenever he leaves, and that’s a lot. We have a room in our upstairs just for them now. These boys need a father figure, John. And it’s not their actual father.”

John tore his eyes away from the door that his son and the other two boys had disappeared through. “Yeah…” he breathed, slowly backing towards the entrance doors of the daycare. “I gotta call Mary.”

The sooner he was out of Ellen’s daycare, the sooner he could breathe again. A million thoughts were swarming around his head, making him dizzy. He wrestled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his wife.

“John, honey, what’s the matter?” Mary asked. “Is Dean okay?”

“Dean’s, well…Dean’s going to have a couple playdates this weekend.” John leaned against the Impala, running his fingers through his hair.

“John, what the hell? Why’d you plan something like this and not tell me?”

“Mary, it just came up, I’m sorry. I didn’t plan on this happening.” John quickly explained their predicament.

Mary was silent for a few minutes, letting the information sink in. “So…you’re telling me that Cas and Gabe’s dad is _giving_ them to us for the weekend?”

“Yeah. And apparently he usually hands them over to Ellen when he leaves town.”

“Okay. I guess I can get Dean’s sleeping bag out and—“

“John!”

John stopped listening to his wife (okay, he hung up mid-rant, bad idea) and turned to see Ellen running towards him.

“John,” she huffed. “I called Bobby. He’s going to swing by my house and grab some stuff for the boys. He’ll drop it off here so you have it when you pick them up.”

“Thank you, Ellen. It’s much appreciated,” smiled John.

“You’re welcome. Oh, and a warning: even though Dean and Castiel are friends now, Gabriel and Dean aren’t. Gabriel has a harder time getting along with other children than Castiel does.” She sighed. “He’s…having a rougher time with his mom leaving them.”

“I…didn’t know that. Is that why Mr. Novak is so sour?”

Ellen shook her head. “Unfortunately no. He’s been like this since before the boys were born. Amelia thought that having children might ease up Jim’s attitude. In my opinion, it made him even more of a dick than he already was. Anyways, I’ll give you a usual schedule for the boys and write you a little bit of what they’re like outside of the daycare.”

John nodded. “Do the boys have any other family in Lawrence?”

“Oh, yeah. Jim’s brother.”

“So why doesn’t he take them in?”

Ellen huffed. “Michael is slightly easier to handle than Jimmy is, but his oldest and Gabriel like to team up against Castiel. The last time the little guy stayed there, he came home with a black eye.”

Before John could answer, his phone rang again. Of course it was Mary.

“I’m going to let you get that, but I’m going to let you know that it’s a good thing that Castiel found a friend in Dean. Your boy is a great kid. I’m sure he’s going to do great things some day.”


	10. Car or Booster Seats?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray for chapter 10! Thanks to all you guys who've read, bookmarked and given kudos! You're all awesome :)

As the day went on, the weekend seemed to be approaching quicker, and John wasn't ready for it. He had been excited when Mary had told him she was pregnant for the first time, and then nervous when she became expectant for the second time, but he was terrified. He was terrified because this weekend would be the first where he would watch over children that weren't his own flesh and blood.

Mary had always been the natural parent. John refused to hold Dean for the first month for fear of dropping him, and now he was suddenly going to be playing 'daddy' to two boys who was either best friends or an enemy of his son.

Too soon, the time to pick up his son and the two Novak boys arrived. John pulled up to the daycare, and just like promised, Bobby was there with two duffel bags, a car seat and a booster seat.

"You ready, Son?" Bobby asked as John exited the Impala.

John sighed. "You know, my car isn't really designed to hold three car seats."

"Two. Don't let Gabriel hear you call this a car seat-" Bobby held up the booster seat "-or he will throw a fit."

"Okay. Advice taken." He opened the back door to his car, taking the car seat from Bobby first. "I'm sure putting Gabriel next to my son would be a bad idea, so Cas is going in the middle."

"See, you're learnin' already." Bobby grinned. "You're going to do great when your next little one comes."

"Oh, Bobby, I hope so." John finished placing the car seat in his car then strapped in the booster seat.

Bobby then handed him the two duffels. "Remember, blue is Castiel's and red is Gabriel's."

John tossed the bags into the trunk then a piece of paper was placed in his hand.

"The boys' normal schedules, food preferences, attitudes and what works best as discipline, that sort of stuff," Bobby explained. "Really, I just think these boys need someone other than Jimmy raising them."

"Well, I guess I'd better get my little charges, then. Thanks, Bobby."

"Anytime, John. And if you have any problems or questions, don't hesitate to call me or Ellen. We'll help you out, Son." Bobby turned, got into his car and drove away with a wave.

John took a couple breaths before mustering up enough courage to enter the daycare. Once inside, something small and blonde collided with his legs. He looked down to see two big, green eyes staring back at him.

"Hi, Daddy," Dean grinned.

"Hey, kiddo. You ready to go home?"

Dean nodded furiously. "But don' forget. Cas 'n Gabe are coming too, right?"

"Right. Uncle Bobby just gave me their stuff so once you kiddos are ready we can head out." John chuckled at his son's huge grin.

"I'll go get them!" the three year old cried out, practically shoving his father away to run in the opposite direction, John slowly following behind.

Inside the playroom were still quite a few children. He spotted Gabriel in a corner with three angry-looking boys while Dean had joined Castiel who was coloring at one of the tables.

"Castiel, Gabriel," a woman who John remembered to be Becky, called out. "Mr. Winchester is here to pick you up."

Castiel looked up from his drawing and grinned while Gabriel just glared as the boys with him started snickering.

Becky appeared next to John and held up two backpacks, holding them out as Castiel and Gabriel walked towards them. "There you go boys," she grinned. "Have a good weekend!"

"Thanks, Miss Becky," Castiel said when Gabriel grumbled, "Whatever."

John could tell that the weekend would be absolutely fantastic. And he thought that with the most sarcastic tone he could come up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the last I'm doing that will have a chapter title. I'm really not coming up with any good ideas anymore, so the only reason a chapter would have chapter titles is because I came up with a clever one :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is quite sad.  
> It's a Gabriel-centric chapter, so...

Mary was waiting for the 'crew' when they arrived. She was still waiting to hear from the hospital about her job interview, so she stayed home getting the place ready for two extra small people. She had originally thought about putting the three boys into Dean's room, then thought a sleepover in the living room would be better. That way, Gabriel could be further away form Dean and Castiel if he wanted to. 

"Honey, we're home!" John called when he opened the door to the house, a duffel bag hung over each shoulder. 

Dean had Castiel by the arm and dragged him inside. "Mom! Mom! Come meet Cas!"

Finally, Gabriel trudged through the door, trying, but failing to not stare at the obvious well-lived-in house even though the Winchesters had only been there a few days. 

He remembered when his house looked like this. When there were smiling faces around all the time, when his father was slightly nicer to him and his brother...when his mom was around. Castiel was too little to remember their mom like Gabriel did. Gabriel was five and could remember her perfectly. He was the spitting image of her, while Castiel's looks came from Jimmy. Amelia loved Gabriel's little pranks and she even helped him pull a few. 

However, Gabriel couldn't understand why Amelia didn't take him and Castiel when she left. He wanted his mom to take him and his brother away. He didn't want to stay with his dad anymore.

Gabriel glanced around the Winchester's house, noticing several pictures of the three of them: John and Mary on their wedding day, holding Dean for the first time, Dean's first steps, etc. His heart became heavy and he immediately turned around and ran out of the still open door. 

Mary stood from where she had been kneeling to talk to her son and Castiel. "I'll talk to him," she told John. "Why don't you get the boys a snack?"

John nodded, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek as she passed. 

Gabriel hadn't gone too far; Mary found him sitting on one of the swings they had in their backyard. 

"Hi, Gabriel," she said when she sat next to him on the other swing. "Or do you like to be called Gabe?"

The five-year old shrugged, wiping his cheek with his sleeve.

"Is everything okay?"

He lifted his shoulders again.

Mary took a breath before she continued. "Is this about your mom?"

Gabriel looked up at that, his golden eyes surprised. "How do you know about that?"

"Miss Ellen told us. Listen, Gabriel. I might not know what you're going through, but Mr. Winchester does."

"How?"

"Because when he was a little older than you, his daddy left him and his mom."

"Did he ever see his dad again?"

Mary shook her head. "No, he didn't. And I bet you're wondering the same thing he did."

"That his daddy didn't love him?"

"But let me tell you something, Gabriel." Mary reached over and took one of his hands in hers. "Your mommy loved you. I know she did. You want to know why I know that?"

Gabriel nodded, sniffing.

"Because she would be crazy not to."

The five-year old launched himself off the swing and into Mary's lap, hugging her neck. "I'm sorry I was mean to Dean," he mumbled into her hair.

Mary laughed, rubbing his back. "As long as you don't do it again, I'm sure he could be friends with you." 

Gabriel pulled back from the hug. "Maybe I could play Batman with them. But I like to be the villains. They have more fun."

"That they do." Mary set the boy on the ground and stood, holding her hand out which he gladly took. "Now, let's go see what Mr. Winchester made for snack, huh?"

Gabriel turned hopeful eyes to her. "Candy?"

"Maybe we can go for ice cream after dinner. Does that sound good?"

The small child nodded eagerly, a small smile forming on his lips.

Mary only hoped that eventually that smile would grow to become permanent.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CHILD ABUSE AND IS A VERY EMOTION-FILLED CHAPTER

Mr. Jimmy Novak hated the fact that his sons had loved staying at the Winchesters for the weekend. When he had picked Gabriel and Castiel up Sunday night, they wouldn’t stop talking about how Mr. Winchester let them and Dean tackle him, about their ice cream adventure they had Friday night, that John and Mary let them stay up until nine on Saturday so they could watch ‘Despicable Me’. His sons clearly wanted to go back, but Mr. Novak would have nothing of it.

In the following weeks, Castiel and Gabriel were only allowed to see Dean during daycare. Whenever Jimmy left for a business trip, he either brought his children along or left them with his brother.

He didn’t care that his oldest had started to come out of his shell. He didn’t care that his youngest was becoming less clingy. Letting the Winchesters watch his sons for two days was a mistake. They were making them too weak; made them think they could do anything.

John Winchester approached him two months after Gabriel and Castiel’s weekend of fun when they were dropping their children off at the daycare.

“Mr. Novak,” he said, “if I could have a minute?”

Jimmy sighed, bored already. “What?” he snapped. “I’m busy.”

“I understand that, but I wanted to talk about your sons.”

“Gabriel and Castiel are none of your concern. They are under _my_ care. You have no right to tell me how to raise my children.”

“I was going to do no such thing, Mr. Novak. I was just going to ask if—“

“If you could take my sons for the weekend, I’m assuming.”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” offered John.

“But I would mind.”

Mr. Novak turned and left a stunned John behind.

John didn’t bring the subject up again until three weeks later when Gabriel showed up to daycare with a bruise on his cheek. He didn’t take a ‘no’ from Jimmy this time, especially when he noticed how afraid the boys were of their father.

Mr. Winchester had practically dragged Mr. Novak from the building. “What the hell did you do to Gabe?!” John yelled.

“How I discipline my sons is of no concern of yours!”

“Hitting your children is _not_ discipline, Mr. Novak! It’s called child abuse!”

“Call it whatever you want, Mr. Winchester, Gabriel learned his lesson.”

“You’re supposed to discipline your children with love! Not with hate!”

The two men continued to yell at each other, not actually realizing how loud they were getting until a police car with flashing lights pulled up beside them. That got them to shut up right away.

“What’s wrong, officer?” John asked, when the officer got out of his cruiser.

“We got a call saying that there was a disturbance.”

“Sorry, sir, that was our fault.”

“What’s going on out here?” the officer said.

“Nothing,” Mr. Novak grumbled.

“What he means to say, officer, is that I was trying to tell him why child abuse is _not_ a form of discipline,” John said, looking Mr. Novak in the eye.

Before anyone else could say anything, Ellen exited the daycare, a crying Castiel on her hip and a tear-stained Gabriel next to her.

“Officer Henrikson, thank you for coming,” she said.

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Harvelle. Do you know anything about this child abuse?”

Ellen nodded. “These boys here told me everything.” She set Castiel down next to his brother, showing Officer Henrikson Gabriel’s cheek. Then she lifted Castiel’s shirt to show a pattern of black and blue across his ribs and stomach.

John couldn’t help what happened then: he punched Jimmy Novak in the face, successfully breaking the man’s nose. “You son of a bitch!”

Officer Henrikson arrested Jimmy, taking him away. John called Bobby, taking the rest of the week off, and contacted Mary. Then he grabbed Castiel and Gabriel and Dean and took them home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's going to be one or two more chapters after this, but don't worry, I've got a sequel in the works of the boys in high school :)


	13. Chapter 13

Things began to get hectic in the Winchester household. John and Mary had gained custody of Gabriel and Castiel and had successfully moved the two boys into Dean’s room, all while preparing a nursery for their incoming child.

One quiet night though, after the three boys had gone to bed and actually fell asleep, John and Mary cuddled on the couch, their arms cradling her belly.

“John?”

“Hmm?” he hummed, content.

“We’re having a boy,” stated Mary.

John nodded, not quite sure where she was headed.

“That will make four.” She glanced at her husband over her shoulder. “We’re going to have four boys.”

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Mary grinned, pecking John on the lips. “Of course. Let’s just hope little Sammy isn’t as rambunctious as the three we already have.”

John chuckled. “If you want a ‘Mama’s boy,’ you already have Cas.”

A fond look took over Mary’s features. As clingy as Dean had been, Castiel was either at her side, or at Dean’s. The little blue-eyed boy loved to follow her around the house, helping her to make the meals or do the laundry. Meanwhile, Dean preferred to stick to his father, and Gabriel turned to whoever would give him attention.

The two Novak boys weren’t used to the loving atmosphere that they encountered at the Winchesters, but they were adjusting fast, and loving it.

Dean and Castiel shared a bunk bed, but like to crowd on Dean’s bed at the top, choosing to sleep up there together. Gabriel’s bed is on the other side of the room, a stash of balled-up socks stocked under that he often lobs at his brother and Dean.

Their favorite game to play with Dean is, not surprisingly, Batman and Robin, where Gabriel is more often than not, the Joker. However, every now and then, at his mother’s urging, Dean will reluctantly let Gabriel be Batman. The game gets especially fun if they rope John in.

Since Gabriel and Castiel moved into John and Mary’s home, everyone has noticed a change in both boy’s behaviors. Gabriel no longer bullies the other kids at the daycare (or if he does, it’s because he’s pulled a prank on his cousin, Zachariah, and his friends). Castiel doesn’t cry at every little thing gone wrong anymore. They’ve started to smile and laugh more.

Of course, with having three boys all under the age of five, they could get into a lot of trouble. Gabriel would to try and sneak candy from the pantry before bedtime. Dean and Gabriel still liked to squabble, some of their fights ending with the two rolling around in the dirt outside. And Castiel could be very stubborn when he had to do something he didn’t want to do (aka, taking a bath).

But all-in-all, John and Mary couldn’t be happier. They had their own flesh and blood with one on the way, and two other boys they’ve known for five months but love just as much as Dean and Sam.

“We should adopt them,” Mary said, bringing the two back to their little cuddle-session on their couch.

John pecked Mary on the cheek. “I’ve been having that same thought ever since we brought them home. Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forget what I said about a certain number of chapters left. I don't know how many there will be. It'll be done when what I want to happen happens. But don't forget, I have a sequel in the works!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware of how long it has been, but these last few months have been crazy busy with the end of the semester, the beginning of a new one, and the start of a new job. Plus, I had writer's block.

The adoption was a long and tedious process that had to be put on a short hold when a healthy baby boy was born into the Winchester household, but everyone in that family were too happy to let anything bring them down. That is, until John and Mary were told that Gabriel and Castiel’s mother had to be contacted before the adoption could be final. Mr. and Mrs. Winchester hoped that their mother would allow the boys to be adopted, but wishes don’t always come true.

When Amelia Novak received the call that her ex-husband had been arrested and that her sons were in the custody of a couple named John and Mary Winchester, she decided it was time to return to Lawrence, Kansas. It had only been a year and a half since she’d seen her boys, but it felt like longer than that. Amelia didn’t want to leave Gabriel and Castiel with the monster that she had married, it’s just that where she was headed, she wasn’t able to bring along two small boys. But now that she was settled, she was ready to get her sons back.

Two weeks after Sam was born, there was a knock on the front door of the Winchester home.

A tall, slender woman with whiskey-colored eyes was standing on the front porch when John opened the door.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m looking for the Winchesters. I’m hoping that I’ve gotten the correct house,” the lady said.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I’m John. What can I do for you?”

“My name is Amelia Novak. I’ve been told that my sons, Gabriel and Castiel have been staying here.”

John’s face drained of all color. He and Mary had been dreading this moment. “Yes, they are. But—“

“Awesome,” Amelia grinned. “May I see them? I would like to take them home with me.”

“I’m sorry. That’s just not possible, Mrs. Novak. Gabe and Cas have a stable life here with my family and me and to tear them away so quickly wouldn’t be good for them.”

Amelia scowled. “I’m their mother!”

“And I understand that, ma’am, but the boys needed their mother when their father was beating the crap out of Gabriel! The boys needed their mother to tell them that they weren’t the worthless pieces of crap that their father made them believe that they were. The boys have been without their mother for almost two years now. They can stand to be without her for another little while.” John stepped back inside the house. “Good day, Mrs. Novak. If you want to see the boys, come back with your lawyer with proof that you are _actually_ their mother.”

Before Amelia could let out another word, the door was shut in her face. She was determined, however that she would get to see her sons again.

John slouched against the door after he’d closed it.

“John? Who was that at the door?” Mary asked, entering the room with a sleeping Sammy in her arms.

John looked at his wife. “Amelia Novak.”

Mary’s smile fell. “I’m assuming she wants the boys back?”

“Your assumptions are correct. I told her to beat it unless she had actual proof of who she was. No doubt she’s going to show up soon with a team of lawyers behind her.”

“Well,” Mary reached out and took her husband’s hand. “Let’s just make the most out of however many days we have left with Gabriel and Castiel, then.”

John squeezed his wife’s hand. “Let’s wait to tell the boys, though. Not until we’re absolutely sure that the woman out there had actually been their mother. We need to make certain that we won’t be giving them away to an imposter. Those boys need stability in their lives.”

“And they have it here for as long as they will be with us.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Gabriel-centric chapter

“Who was that?” Castiel asked his brother.

“I dunno. Some strange lady, I guess,” answered Gabriel. But he lied. He knew exactly who that lady was who just entered her car and drove away from the Winchester house.

Gabriel and Castiel were on the second floor staring through the window that looked out at the front yard. They watched the woman park in front of the house, the interaction between John and her leave.

Castiel shrugged. “She looked mad. I’m gunna go find Dean. Wanna come?”

Gabriel shook his head. “You go ahead.”

“Okay.”

The younger brother hopped off the window seat John and Bobby had installed and ran off hollering for his friend.

Gabriel couldn’t get over the fact that his mother had shown up at John and Mary’s. What was she doing there? Was she back for them? Or was she just making sure they were okay, only to run off again? He didn’t know, but he could have sworn that before she had gotten into her car, she looked up at the window they were at and smiled at them.

Down the hall, the five year old could hear Sam whimpering in John and Mary’s room, probably woken up by Castiel’s yelling. Gabriel knew that the rest of the family were downstairs, so he padded his way into the room.

Gabriel was taller than Dean and Castiel so he didn’t have to rise onto his tippy-toes to see the baby in his bassinet. He reached out and ran his finger along the back of one of Sam’s hands.

“Hi, Sammy,” he said. “Did Cassy wake you up?”

The infant squirmed in response, opening his eyes to focus on nothing.

Gabriel didn’t remember much of when his little brother was this age. All he could recall was the fact that he would have someone to protect from their father.

Even though most people who knew the Novak family would say that Gabriel was a horrible big brother or son, he would say otherwise. Not once did he let Jimmy put a hand on Castiel; Gabriel made sure that all of their father’s anger was turned towards him. No matter what Castiel did to annoy Jimmy, Gabriel one-upped his brother, trying to keep his little brother from harm.

“My mom just stopped by,” Gabriel whispered to the baby. “I don’t know what she was doin’ here. She didn’t look happy when she was leavin’.”

Sam squealed again, wiggling his little body. Gabriel stroked the baby’s hand again, only this time, his finger was grabbed by the tiny hand.

Gabriel could hear footsteps on the stairs, telling him that someone was on their way to take care of Sam. He leaned in closer to the crib. “No matter what happens, Sammy, I promise you’ll be looked out after. You’ve got a good big brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how many more chapters I will have for this story, but it won't be very many.  
> Thank you to all who have read BaC? since the beginning, and thanks to those who are new readers :)   
> You guys are all amazing.


	16. Chapter 16

The next few days were a lot more stressful than John and Mary would have cared to admit. They had to begin to fight for custody of Gabriel and Castiel.

“Gabriel and Castiel have built a life here with us,” Mary argued. “You can’t pull them away from this.”

“My sons are coming back to Illinois with me. Leaving them with Jimmy was the worst decision I have ever made, and I’m finally ready to make up for it,” countered Amelia.

“Make up for it? You _left_ them with an abusive father. Nothing you could do could make up for that.” John crossed his arms over his chest, fuming.

Amelia looked down. “Listen, Mr. Winchester. I understand your anger towards this. But Gabriel and Castiel are _my_ boys. My husband and his daughters are ready to take them in. We’ve prepared rooms for both of them. It will be a good life for them in Pontiac.”

Amelia’s and John and Mary’s lawyers looked between the three adults. Then they looked at the judge they were arguing in front of.

“Well,” the judge said, “I’ve heard all I needed to hear. Both families have made their points, but my decision is based on what will be best for the boys in question. Custody of Gabriel Novak and Castiel Novak has been granted to…”

Time seemed to slow down, everything turned black and white and John and Mary suddenly couldn’t hear anything. All they could see were the happy tears flowing out of Amelia’s eyes as the judge gave her custody of her sons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't have any idea of how these custody battles go, I just know that some get really ugly. But really, in truthfulness, I'm just trying to wrap this story up.  
> So, after this, there's an epilogue and then done!


	17. Epilogue Part 1

Amelia and the judge agreed that Gabriel and Castiel could stay with the Winchesters for the rest of the week before they would move to Illinois.

John and Mary had hoped that they would be able to make the most of the time they had left with the boys, however, breaking the news to the boys was the hardest thing they’ve ever done.

“But they’re my brothers! They can’t go away!” Dean hollered.

“I’m sorry, honey. Your dad and I tried everything we could to keep Gabe and Cas here.”

“Apparently not hard enough,” grumbled Gabriel.

“Gabe…”

The five year old shook his head as he left the room, heading to the backyard. Ever since his first day with the Winchester’s, the swing set had become his favorite thinking spot. He wondered if he’d get a thinking spot as good as this one at his mother’s house. Except, as he walked outside, he found the swings occupied already: his brother.

Castiel was sitting on the ground in front of the swings, hugging himself and crying.

“Cassie?” Gabriel called out quietly. “You okay?”

Castiel shook his head, wiping his cheek with his sleeve. “Why can’t we stay here?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Gabriel took a seat next to his brother, wrapping an arm around Castiel’s shoulders. “I don’t know, Cas. It seems like Mr. and Mrs. Winchester aren’t allowed to take care of us anymore.”

“I don’t wanna go with her. I wanna stay. I wanna keep being Robin!”

Gabriel sighed. But before he could answer, John came outside.

“Come on, boys. It’s time.”

Castiel looked at his brother, his expression panicked.

Gabriel stood up and held his hand out. “I’ve got you, little brother. It’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more!


	18. Epilogue Part 2

Goodbyes are never easy, and Dean Winchester had to learn that the hard way.

On that first day at Ellen’s daycare, he never thought he’d make a friend who had known nothing about Batman. He didn’t think that this boy would soon become his best friend. He didn’t think that over the next few months, he’d gain three brothers. He definitely didn’t know that two of them would be ripped away from him.

Dean watched as John led Gabriel and Castiel to the driveway where their mother was waiting by the car that would take them away. Mary stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding the one brother that wasn’t leaving.

Amelia had stopped by every day since she had gained custody, slowly receiving the boys’ things. John loaded their car seat and booster seat into the back of the car.

Gabriel wrapped his arms around John’s legs, hugging him, thanking him, then waved at Dean and Mary before climbing into the car, not wanting anyone to see the tears staining his cheeks.

Castiel wasn’t as shy with his emotions. He latched onto John, refusing to let go.

Dean leaned into his mother before running inside. Mary watched her son leave, thinking he was too upset to watch anymore. But soon enough, he was back, a yellow cape and black mask in hand.

“Cas!” he yelled, making his way towards his friend.

The black haired child unwound himself from John to stare at Dean, his eyes red and puffy.

Dean held out the costume pieces. “No matter where you go, you’ll always be my Robin, right?”

Castiel’s mouth twitched and a small giggle escaped the child. He nodded, taking the items. “And you’ll be my Batman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm done. I want to thank those of you who have been with me since the beginning and thank you to my new readers. i apologize immensely for the heartache I've given you, but I encourage you to keep an eye out for the sequel!   
> I love you guys!  
> Kisses,   
> Rachel <3


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